Marshall, an island nation in the Pacific ocean became the last country in the world to experience the Covid-19 wave.
According to Public Health Director Frank Underwood, the capital alone has more than 3,700 infections.
He said the highly contagious BA.5 sub-variant is the main cause of the current outbreak.
He advised people to wear masks and maintain preventive measures such as keeping a safe distance in both indoor and outdoor public spaces.
“As long as people are breathing, the virus will continue to spread,” Dr. Underwood said.
The country was scheduled to lift restrictions on Oct. 1 this year. However, the new outbreak could cause plans to change.
Officials have warned that traditional methods of prevention are no longer feasible.
“As a country, we have moved from prevention to mitigating the impact of the epidemic.
The quarantine days are over,” Marshall Islands Health and Human Services Secretary Jack Niedenthal said.
On Aug. 16, health officials reported nearly 4,000 people tested positive in the past 24 hours, bringing the number of new infections for the week into the thousands.
